HARP
Christian
Counseling
Staff
Lora Williams, LCSW, Christian Counselor, Practice Owner
Lora is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 26 years of social work and counseling experience. As the founder and owner of HARP Christian Counseling, she has an undying passion to help others experience the joy in life that God intended. She founded HARP out of a vision to serve others by offering Christian counseling using evidence based clinical treatment methods integrated with a Biblical perspective and devotion to Christian values and beliefs.Lora has worked with many individuals and families over the last 26 years and has successfully assisted clients facing all types of crises and challenges including depression, anxiety, divorce, parenting issues, marital distress, substance abuse and dependence, domestic violence, mood and thought disorders, PTSD, traumatic life events, adjustment disorders, developmental disorders, grief and bereavement, and end of life issues. Lora is qualified to provide services to individuals of all age groups. She is known to have tremendous compassion for her clients and makes them feel comfortable by relating to them in a relaxed manner. She has a keen gift for identifying the underlying issues and helping clients find practical solutions to their problems. As part of the assessment process Lora may utilize any number of well-known assessment tools to gain a better understanding of the challenges facing the client. With children, Lora may utilize play therapy in order to facilitate communication between the child and the therapist.Lora graduated with honors from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Psychology in 1989. From her graduating class of 1989 at ASU she was chosen as the Outstanding Student in the Psychology Department. Lora attended Southwestern Theological Seminary for a time and then later graduated with a Master's of Science in Social Work in 1993 from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is qualified to provide individual, family, and marriage counseling, and she enjoys working with school aged children, adolescents, and adults.As a Christian counselor who values the application of Biblical truths and principles to the therapeutic process, clients who receive counseling services from Lora can expect to have faith incorporated as an integral part of their therapy. When appropriate and welcomed by the client, Lora will utilize prayer or application of scripture during therapy sessions. Lora believes that each therapy session can be a tool to create a safe atmosphere for the client to experience the love of God. Pain and brokenness can often make it difficult to know God's love, but within the supportive atmosphere of therapy, Lora believes that individuals can begin to experience the depth of God's love for the them and gain a better understanding of their worth and value within that relationship.Lora's counseling style focuses upon developing an in-depth understanding of the person and their existing supports, their struggles in the current moment, and their experience of God in their life. With her clients she will seek to quickly establish a meaningful and genuine working relationship based on warmth, understanding, and compassion. She also seeks an openness to the work of the Holy Spirit during the process of counseling. Lora's strong clinical skills, Biblical focus, and extensive experience as a clinical social worker bring a wholistic approach to counseling that allows for comprehensive healing within the body, soul, and spirit. From a clinical perspective, Lora utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy treatment approaches, finding that CBT as a treatment modality aligns with Biblical thought, teaching us to make changes in thinking patterns for more healthy coping. This is consistent with the Biblical admonition to take our thoughts captive for Christ.Prior to founding HARP Christian Counseling, Lora worked in various counseling and social work roles with various ages and various populations including working for many years with a group of 24 churches in Fort Worth, Texas as the Director of Christian Social Ministries. This outreach provided tremendous support to that local community and the provision of Christian counseling offered alongside practical assistance became a large part of the success and growth of this ministry. Lora has been happily married to her first and only love, Steve, since 1988. Together they have two grown children. In her spare time she loves spending time with her family and friends, bike riding and trail blazing with her husband and young adult children, participating in the intercessory prayer ministry at her church, snuggling with her three dogs, getting dirty in the creek in her backyard, and working in her flower gardens. Lora is often accompanied to work by her therapy dogs in training, Murphy and Harper. Murphy is a Cavapoo and Harper is a Bichapoo. Lora affectionaly calls them "the boys", and she loves how they unconditionally offer snuggles and follow her like a shadow.
Karen Driggers, LCMHCA
Before obtaining her licensure as a clinical mental health professional, Karen graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, with a concentration in Life Coaching, and then most recently with her Master’s Degree in School Counseling from Campbell University. Although most of her counseling practice has been in a school setting, she has experience providing counseling services for adolescents and adults struggling with anxiety, depression, relational concerns, grief, loss, as well as the impact of an unhealthy self-concept. Karen considers God the ultimate counselor, healer, and deliverer, and her role as a therapist is to be a conduit through which God’s Word and wisdom flow into the counseling relationship. Her personal and professional experiences underscore her belief that people are not meant to do life alone. She enjoys working with clients of all ages, but particularly enjoys helping teens and women work through life’s challenges in order to discover the unique person that God has created them to be. She considers that through Christ, we all have the strengths and abilities to successfully overcome many of the problems that come our way, but that we at times need help identifying effective solutions. Karen desires to help clients see the connection between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and by integrating scripture with the principles of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), effective solutions can found together. She works with clients to identify healthy coping strategies and to set personal and professional goals as they develop a vision for their preferred futures based on who they are in God’s eyes and according to His plan for their lives. She recognizes the importance of meeting her clients where they are—emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually—with a spirit of compassion, support, and understanding. While she desires for all people to walk in the freedom that Christ offers, Karen understands and respects each individual’s view of therapy, their personal faith journey, and their worldview. She trusts the Holy Spirit to guide each client session as she employs a variety of evidence-based therapeutic techniques that align with both scripture and with the client’s needs and personal strengths. She considers each session to be a divine appointment and an opportunity to foster and strengthen a safe, comfortable, and accepting atmosphere in which clients can be honest and open. Therapy is also a setting where a therpeutic relationship can develop so that the work of healing can be seen as an exciting process where the client can begin to experience true freedom from their concerns. Karen is married with two adult children, two young adult step-children, and two large and goofy rescue dogs. She experiences joy, peace, and fulfillment when spending time with her family, working with her husband on home improvement projects, gardening, walking or riding her bike, writing/creating, leading small groups and serving in her local church, or simply appreciating the world around from her front porch swing with a cup of coffee and her dogs at her feet.
